Weekend Break in Cornwall



It was a little spontaneous (aka last minute) but with a few days of annual leave to spare, we decided to spend the weekend in Cornwall. 

The drive was a killer. Setting off at 8am, we were aware it was going to be a long drive (5 hours from home) but we weren't prepared to sit in more than an hour of traffic. We drove straight to Lizard & Kynance Cove, arriving there at 4pm.. A total of 8 hours of driving. To get back to our B&B was another hour, so let's just say a lot of miles were clocked.


The lane to this place was narrow and a little steep but it is best to get there  by car. You can park for free in the square, where there are a cluster of little shops selling ice cream and pasties or you can drive a little further down and park there for £1.40 per hour.
We only had time to visit Lizard Point but it's a lovely place that overlooks the blue sea, rocky cliffs and you can walk around the green, grassy hills whilst taking in the fresh air. We stopped for a well deserved pasty - a cheese and vegetable one which was Huge! £4.10 for takeaway and double the size of the ones at home? I can't complain!



Next stop - our B&B in Par. It was quite difficult to get signal in Cornwall, but luckily Google maps quickly calculated the route so it still worked when my 3G cut out.
Located up on a fairly steep hill and next to a church, was our B&B. It's a quiet little area, with fields and a nice view and a pub very close by. Inside, Elmswood, it felt very homey. The sort of interior where you could just snuggle up with a duvet on a winter's day. For £80 a night, we had a king size bed, en-suite and were welcomed with a full English breakfast. A great way to start the day :)



As warned by the landlady, restaurants in Cornwall don't for stay open till late and can close as early as 8pm! So we quickly dropped of our stuff and headed out to Austell's - a restaurant with 2 Rosette Awards. I had high expectations for this place after seeing such good reviews on TripAdvisor and the awards on show but to my dismay they dissipated with every minute we were there..



When we arrived the manager led us to bar whilst we waited for a table, which wasn't too long. When we were shown to our table, they had run out of menus so we had to share one, which was neither comfortable nor convenient. After trying to get the waitress's attention for 10 minutes, we were able to place our orders of a starter and two mains and a side.

Excited and hungry, I couldn't wait to try the pork croquette and pork parcel with pea veloutĂ© sauce. It took quite a while for it to arrive but when it did we weren't disappointed. The pork croquette was delicious and the veloutĂ©, well let's just say if there was a straw I would have happily used it :) It came with an interesting shaped pork crackling, which had the texture of a prawn cracker - light, crispy and crunchy.


Next the main course. I ordered pork belly with mash and Ken ordered the duck breast. We kept nibbling on the bread that was given whilst we were waiting but that didn't last long. 65 minutes had passed and we had only eaten one starter. I was beginning to regret trusting the reviews on TripAdvisor. When our main dishes and portion of truffle chips turned up, they were devoured.





I loved the presentation of the food. It was clean and elegant. Our bill came to £60 for two main courses, a side and a starter. I would recommend booking in advance and going when it isn't so busy.
   

Sunday
After breakfast, we decided to visit Readymoney Cove Beach in Fowey and walk around a little bit. Being a nice sunny day, we couldn't resist an ice cream / ice lolly from the ice cream van :) Cornish ice cream is so smooth and creamy (compared to Mr Whippy but no surprises there). 




In the town centre are a cluster of shops round every bend. Now I'm not a fan of fudge but I fell in love with the Peanut Butter fudge from this teeny shop called Fowey Fudge. 
Not only did they sell many flavours of handmade fudge but chocolates, sweets and ice cream too!


Strawberries and Cream
Next stop, Eden Project! After reading that concession prices are available after 3:30pm, we arrived just before 4pm to find out that only applies weekdays! So we had to rush round to cover all the main parts. 

My 'I haven't just taken a bite of my pasty...' face


Found these cute, colourful birds just wondering around in the rainforest section, which happened to stop right in front of my feet to eat raisins :) 



After our very rushed exploration, we headed back to the entrance and passed the cafĂ©, which was giving out free cakes and pastries as they were closing at 6pm :) So we took two cinnamon buns, three scones and a slice of Victoria sponge. 


For dinner we chose to go somewhere local, The New Inn, a pub that our B&B landlord recommended. We ordered fish and chips with mushy peas. For something so simple, I didn't expect it to be just what we needed - some comfort food, which we enjoyed more than Austell's! The staff and local regulars were so friendly and I think we definitely stood out - being the only Chinese in the village..! :p



Monday
Our last day in Cornwall. We had our final breakfast before checking out and drove back to Fowey. Being another nice day, we had chocolate ice cream and watermelon sorbet at 11am. Unusual yet so satisfying :)






As Sam's on the Beach is popular but small restaurant, we had to book in advance and managed to get a table for 1pm. Well-known for its seafood, we ordered deep fried soft shell crab, scallops served with bread and rosemary potatoes, mussels with clams and cockles. The portions were so big, I struggled to walk back to the car that was parked uphill, which didn't help. I would definitely recommend this place if you are visiting - there is also a branch in Fowey, which doesn't take bookings but it is easier to get a table as it doesn't have the view of the beach.

Excuse the messy hair/hairy shoulders, he never tells me when I look my best..
Our bill came to £37.40 for a starter and two main courses, which were very much enjoyed :)

After a short weekend break, it was time for a long drive home. Fortunately, I had a delicious scone with strawberry jam to look forward to at work the next day :)

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